In my opinion, when going to a coastal beach town where the seafood is supposedly caught fresh daily, one would expect that their meal in most locally owned and run places would be top notch. Unfortunately for downtown Lewes, DE Jerry’s Seafood falls considerably short.

Seven adults and two children were seated at a table nearest the door to the kitchen. In all fairness, my wife & I arrived later, but still who puts two small kids near the kitchen door? I saw lots of empty oyster shells being brought back, so my assumption was that they must be good. WRONG! The seven meaty oysters tasted just short of fresh. Nobody else at the table wanted any part of them. I struggled to get most of them down, but eventually gave up.

They have Samuel Adams Summer Ale on tap which was a nice way to wash away the taste of the oysters. I’ll reiterate the fact that my wife & I arrived after the rest of the table and also ordered after the rest of the table, yet for some reason we got our entrees first. Normally I’d laugh this off, but there my two hungry nephews were waiting patiently for their food too.

I got their famous crab cake sandwich with pasta salad for a measly $16 (sarcasm.) The pasta salad was decent, but the crab cake was hit and miss. Some bites tasted great, others tasted like defrosted fake crab. Confusing, and not enjoyable. My wife seemed to be enjoying her mixed green salad, while I supplemented my sandwich with some of my nephew’s fried shrimp – which, by the way may not have been shrimp at all.

After our plates were cleared the checks were brought out broken up by couple/family (I guess my in-laws requested this earlier?) with 20% gratuity added to each check. The service was poor. The food was sub par. At best I would have given them a 15% tip. I do not like being forced into giving any tip at all. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth – not unlike the oysters.

My wife’s family rents a house in Lewes every summer. We will return next summer, but you can rest assured we’ll be skipping Jerry’s.

Maryland is known for crabs. To eat Maryland fresh cracked crab or crabcakes is to taste crab as it was intended to taste. It’s known nationwide like Maine Lobster, Texas beef, & Berkshire pork (which originated from England, not the Berkshire Mountains – but work with me here!) A few miles north, however lies a small state (the first, in fact) that tends to be overlooked for its pristine beaches, lively boardwalks, and towns like Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, and Bethany Beach, which contain a plethora of fresh seafood restaurants like Crabby Dick’s.

My in-laws told us we’d probably think it’s too touristy – and touristy it is. You walk in to an enormous gift shop filled with crab inspired t-shirts, wall hangings, mugs, magnets, caps, and towels, etc – some with the Crabby Dick’s logo, some with the girl version (Anita Dick), and others that plainly ask, “Got Crabs…?” The crab fan that I am I was tempted to buy one of everything, and may have followed through had my more sensible half not looked at me as if to say, “why do we need crab salt & pepper shakers?” It was decided that some photos, plus a crabby meal would be enough.

Sitting down to eat in a restaurant like Crabby Dick’s you expect a decent meal – at least something freshly caught with mediocre sides, and some cold beer. What we got, however was a fantastic meal – big, meaty, sweet, fresh crab legs dipped in the most perfect clarified butter, and washed down with ice cold Shock Top beer. Even the starter Crab Balls – mini crab cakes, and Corn Balls – mini, creamy corn fritters blew me away. And the oysters? Don’t get me started. Fresh, meaty, briny, plump, perfectly cold…I love oysters! Plus, they start you out with a basket of Old Bay seasoned popcorn. I love Old Bay too!! There were six of us at the table, and each of us was happy…no, ecstatic over our meals. One person ordered a combo pot of crab legs and shrimp, and couldn’t finish her shrimp, so guess who did…me! And the shrimp were awesome – lightly dusted in Old Bay, perfectly sweet with a bit of a snap – the way shrimp should be.

We opted against dessert even though the gigantic brownie with whipped cream tower that the three cougars at the neighboring table had looked delicious, and they do serve key lime pie, we were all just stuffed to the gills.

It may be in my best interest on my next trip to Lewes to seek out a place more off the main drag, but I would go back to Crabby Dick’s in a heartbeat…and I’d buy the salt & pepper shakers too!

I’ve lived in the Cobble Hill / Boerum Hill / Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn, New York for the better part of a decade amidst a changing backdrop of restaurants, retail, and residents. One of the few constants during my tenure, however has been Fish Tales Gourmet Seafood Market on Court Street. My wife and I cook a lot, and try to make fish of some sort for dinner at least once a week. I’ve made the mistake of buying the frozen varieties from Trader Joe’s – a fine marketplace, however when it comes to seafood the fresher it is, the better even if it’s a little more expensive.

Since 1996 the men at Fish Tales have been providing the neighborhood with some of the freshest seafood in the borough of Brooklyn. John, Lewis, & Alex know most of their customers by name, or at the very least by face. They’re up at 2AM six days a week picking out the best to satisfy the most discerning of pallets. They carry a superior selection of fresh & salt water fishes, plus shellfish varieties, prepared foods including precooked entrees, salads, and shrimp cocktail, and everything the local gourmet would possibly need to cook a delicious seafood meal minus the pots, pans, & stove. Their soups have gained significant local attention by food celebrities like Bobby Flay who even challenged owner John Addis to a Manhattan Fish Chowder Throwdown. Bobby won the challenge – perhaps due to the fact he used bacon in his recipe. I’m sure I’d have enjoyed both!

The men who run Fish Tales are not only friendly, but are also extremely knowledgeable of their product having given me suggestions on what herbs to stuff into grilled black bass, how long to pan sear tilapia, and even how to shuck an oyster – a video of which is forthcoming. Not sure what to cook tonight? They’ll tell you what’s good based on your personal tastes. And whatever those personal tastes may be, you’ll be sure to find something fresh & delicious at Fish Tales.